How to Tackle Critique Notes

I recently exchanged my manuscript with a writer friend who also had a novel she wanted me to read. We read and edited on paper (we’re old-school that way), so I now have 300+ pages with notes, plus an “editor’s letter” she gave me summarizing her comments.

I also just wrapped a big freelance project (a 24-page special section for a trade magazine) for which I served as content editor. This booklet was reviewed by five people who all provided comments via Microsoft Word’s track changes function on different versions of each article. Part of my job was to reconcile all the different files with their different comments and questions into final documents.

Is it any wonder I’ve got editing on the brain?

Now that the monster freelance job is out the door (and I have a little window before I begin the next one), it’s time to tackle these edits. If, like me, you get a little light-headed at all the work you have to do after you’ve received a critique letter and edits, these suggestions might help.

Read the letter, then wait. If you get an editor’s letter or notes from a beta reader, it may be a good idea not to react right away. Give yourself a day, then reread it. I find that even when I’ve asked for notes and even if the notes support how I was feeling about the manuscript, I still feel a little pang at seeing the problems spelled out in black and white by somebody else. Waiting before I wade in to the work gives me a chance to have an initial “I-suck” reaction. With a little time I can then see the comments more clearly. Yay! I only partially suck.

Read the entire manuscript before you start editing (or accepting or rejecting changes if you’re using track changes). You might find on a later page your beta reader/editor has changed her mind about an edit after she’s read more. Or you might change your mind and agree more with her edits after you see more examples of why she suggested them. Use a pencil to make notes on the page as you go (or insert comments on your document), and after you’ve gone through the whole thing look at your notes and decide which edits you want to make and which ones you don’t agree with.

Create a to-do list/action plan. I did this with my freelance project and it really helped. (My friend was thoughtful enough to provide a summary of her editor’s letter, which also really helps. Yes, I do have one of the best writer-friends ever.) Do you want to tackle the easiest changes first or face the dragon right off the bat? My friend told me I need to move the main plot up. Gah! I thought I’d already done that, but, no. I still need to get things going sooner. I’m going to start with that. Then move on to fleshing out a secondary, but very important character.

Don’t over-edit. I’m prone to going beyond the edits suggested. If my editor/reader wants me to change A and B, I have a tendency to assume that C, D and E also need to be changed. This time, I’m going to try very hard not to do that.

Save what you cut. You probably already do this, but just in case. If you cut a scene or a chapter, put it somewhere you can get it if you decide to reincorporate it. If you don’t need it for your manuscript, you might like it enough to use it in another story. Or you can use the outtakes on your website to give readers a little added value.

Trust your reader. Only let someone trustworthy read your stuff. He doesn’t necessarily have to be a writer, but he needs to be able to give you insight that’s helpful and uncolored (as much as humanly possible) by his own biases and even jealousy. My friend has read for me before and is skilled at helping me get to the book I’m trying to write, not telling me how to write the book she’d write.

Finally, trust yourself. If you get feedback that you don’t agree with, maybe you know better (see Mia March’s post for an example of a writer who trusted herself). Accepting criticism from a reader, a writers’ group or an editor is tricky business. It’s a balancing act involving listening to the feedback and listening to yourself.

If you have any tips for me and WU readers about handling an editor’s letter or critique notes, I’d love to hear them. Please let us know in the comments!

Yes to #1! I find that if I wait a day or two to get over my defensiveness, I generally agree with most of the suggestions. Then my mind starts working on how to fix them. Then I suddenly realize how much better the book will be when I’m done.

Saving what you cut is also key for me because I often go back and scavenge from old scenes. Since I use Scrivener, I take a snapshot (backup copy) before any major scene edit.

If I’m deleting a whole scene, I just move it to a folder specifically created to keep old scenes. This keeps them searchable and readily available in their full form.

Good advice, Carleen! I think we’re always sensitive to proposed edits. The trick, I find is to view them not as criticism but as ways to strengthen what I’ve already written. Appreciate your insights into the editing process.

#1 is a favorite. Don’t allow yourself a knee-jerk reaction to a heavy edit or critique. Take each comment and consider it, don’t let the number of comments overwhelm. Also #7 Trust yourself. Oh yes! I consider all comments, but ultimately the writing/story has to make me happy. Sometimes I trash a comment when I like the sentence or phrase just the way it is.

Your last suggestion (trust yourself) can be the hardest. It’s easy to become a ping-pong ball. I’ve met countless writers who flail and worry. “I’m getting contradictory advice, what should I do?”

The very question tells me that this writer isn’t anchored by a strong story purpose. First get grounded. What is your story telling us? Why does it matter? Then progress to characters. How is my protagonist conflicted? In what ways will he or she change?

When you know the purpose of your story it’s easy to filter advice. It helps, it detracts, or it’s optional.

Well said, Don. I would suggest that a writer who doesn’t have that sense of story purpose yet is in dangerous waters if they’re seeking critique at all — if the feedback they’re getting doesn’t happen to be contradictory, they might not pause long enough to ask themselves whether it will serve their story to use that feedback “unfiltered.”

I can’t agree more. I think that once you start editing, there’s something in the back of your head that tells you that if you had to edit the original, what makes you sure that your new edit won’t be bad as well. And you go into the other point related to over-editing… I think gaining trust in your work is paramount!

Timely advice Carleen, as I await the editorial letter for my first manuscript. It’s not due to land in my inbox until sometime in early August, but I’m finding it impossible not to wonder what that experience is going to be like and how I’ll handle it. I’ll bookmark this post of yours to read again in a few weeks.

Excellent advice. I, too, recently received editing notes from a beta reader. As you said, I read through her comments and corrections (some were places where I’d simply made typos) and then spent the next day mulling over what she’d said. I agreed with 90% of the suggested changes and worked on those areas, but I decided to stick with my original material for that last 10%. Maybe she’s right, but those changes simply didn’t feel right for my character and story, so I went with my gut feelings.

Thanks for your advice on how to handle critique notes, Carleen. Being part of a critique group really is a balancing act. Sometimes we get conflicting suggestions and those that just aren’t true to our story or characters.

Waiting and reading the entire piece are excellent ideas. Our immediate reaction (whether we agree or disagree with the critique) isn’t always the correct one.

Yes, Roxanne, often if I wait just a little I see things differently. You’re right about the balancing act when you’re in a group. It’s frustrating to get conflicting advice, but Don’s tip for that above is great. It all comes back to knowing what you’re trying to do and which suggestions help you get there and which ones don’t.

Thanks for that shout-out, Carleen. I totally agree it’s a balancing act–when to listen to yourself, when to listen to others. There have been times I haven’t known which to do, but I’ve found if I step back and give it a few days, the right answer will always come when I least expect it.

Great tips, Carleen. I’ll be sure to keep them in mind. I have a great critique group, and I find trusting each other and myself to be very important. A writer needs to know when to make the edits and when to go her own way.

Bree, I met my friend in a writing workshop. I didn’t know going in how good she’d be until she edited my first manuscript for me. If you run across someone whose writing you respect, give him/her a try. Of course, not every writer is going to be a good editor, but you won’t know until you try. Good luck!

Sounds like an excellent plan of action (and reaction). I’m in the midst of applying an editor’s notes and letter and I agree with your comments. It is definitely true that reading through everything, waiting and then reading through again with that overall perspective allows me to make much fuller use of her comments and suggestions and to integrate them into my overall understanding of what I’m accomplishing.

This is perfect advice. You did a great job of putting clearly into words what I have experienced with feedback in the past, and preparing me, as some writing friends and I are organizing to share work for the first time. Thank you so much for sharing this.

Perfect advice, Carleen. Especially the part about trusting yourself. It’s terribly easy to hear a comment and assume it means something is wrong and is a call for action. I’ve had occasions where critiquers definitely did not know what they were talking about, like the guy who told me to get rid of all my dialogue.

I’ve just sent my novel off for editing…I’m waiting. This will be the first time I’ve been edited for publication rather than for my own self. Finding a person I trust…that’s been hard though it may say more about me than about the trustworthiness of others. It is hard to know who will be honest but not gut my heart.

And then not taking the comments as evidence that I should burn everything I’ve ever written immediately. I’d like to skip that feeling.

I hear you Marta. My friend told me to be brutally honest when I edited her book. I like honest, but I can skip the brutal. But even when it’s brutal honesty, it’s not as bad as you might fear. I hope your editor works out for you and wish you good luck with your book!

Well this is sweet and timely. I just got my manuscript back from the editor today and am in the “I’m cooling my heels while the angst lingers” stage. I knew there were problems and she found them. I know that’s good, and I’ll keep telling myself that until I really feel that way and then I’ll get to work.

The funny part is that I just sent off my first draft to a friend who is so wrapped up in what I sent her, she kept pushing me to create a story. This will be good for me to keep in mind when I get it back, especially since she is a freelance editor.

Thanks for sharing this, I’m sure there are many writers who will appreciate it!